An observant and curious reader sends me the following:
Is it just me or has anyone noticed the foul smell in the air around town? I know that Sacramento has been labelled a cow town, but it sure is smelling like cow shit around here since this latest storm passed through. Is there something I’m missing? Is there a livestock zone somewhere near here? I’ve lived in Sac for 15+ years and never caught whiff of this before…
Personally I haven’t had the pleasure. My recent forays downtown have suffered their share of sensory offenses but none was the distinct odor of cow shit.
The Sac Rag 
I’ve noticed it too, very subtly when the breeze is blowing from the west toward my house. I’m fairly certain it’s a result of the recent heavy rains and the old city landfill. Dumps never completely go away, they just smell less when you cover them with lots of dirt. I live within sight of it to the east, though, so it’s not surprising to me.
It definitely smells dump-like, though. This is a distinctly different smell than run-of-the-mill cow shit. More complex and earthy, with overtones of leather and decaying fish (and some cow shit too).
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Thanks for the comment, Matt. I did some
research.
Some farmers may also be spreading manure to
get the fields ready for spring crops. The odor is definitely coming from the
west.
Here’s a link in the News and REview from 2003 about a big dairy operation that was proposed in Davis. Unsure if this is where the odor is from:
http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/Content?oid=oid%3A14086
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